Opening will be June 10th, 5pm-7pm
Exhibition will be on view through July 8th, 2022
The top 3 Grilled Cheese Grant 2021 Finalists were awarded a solo exhibition as part of their selection as top finalists. Walker’s Point Center for the Arts is excited to welcome these three artists into our space as part of their recognition. In partnership with the Grilled Cheese Grant, we present:
Grotesque Planet
Helena Baka
A love Letter to Heartland
Anna Siemsen
Oddments
August-Lain Weickert
Helena Baka– “My work is a visual representation of my internal struggles with my overall identity as a 20-something year old woman and the intrusive thoughts of grief, insecurity, and depression that invade my mind. Contrastingly, it is also a tool to celebrate my femininity and girlhood through color, texture, and imagery. Growing up as a first-generation daughter of Albanian immigrants, eastern European cultures and traditions always fascinated me, especially Greek mythology, which has inspired the non-human creatures I paint. Through fantasy and myth making, my paintings tell stories of creatures who have issues setting boundaries with themselves and their comfort, who want to empower themselves for their vulnerability but also want to conceal it through societal shame. From growing pains to self-awareness and attachment issues, the ever-so-flawed creatures I paint live in a world that takes the saying “ignorance is bliss” to another level. The dual theme of childhood innocence and adult experience is present through the stark colors and textures I use as a way to contrast the image on the canvas and the context of the work. It’s through my impulsive process and personal symbolism that makes painting a therapeutic tool to comfort my inner child and to confront the devil on my shoulder.”
Anna Lu Siemsen is a multidisciplinary artist from Milwaukee, WI currently focusing in fashion design, videography, and photography. She graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in Spring of 2021 with a BFA in New Studio Practice. Through her work she attempts to combine aspects of both her Chinese heritage and American childhood. Siemsen’s artwork is an exploration of the Mid-Western landscape, family history, and the nostalgia of cherished photographs and heirlooms.
August-Lain Weickert is a multidisciplinary artist and poet based in Madison, Wisconsin. His work converts his personal history into a series of wandering, stream-of consciousness pieces. These works serve as actors in his own process of recollection, introspection, and retelling of vital moments through theatrical and densely coded visual cues. He explores the themes of identity, spirituality, storytelling, and fate, using the detritus from one piece to form the base of another in continuous exploration.